User blog:Golurk 88/How to Compare Robots and Weapons
War Robots Wiki:AuthenticatedBlogs Introduction When it comes to comparing different robots and weapons, WR players have many different methods. Most believe that it is a simple comparison to see which bot or weapon has the highest statistics, whilst others will refuse to believe that anything is better than an Orkan Spectre or Zenit Shutze. In this guide, I will try my best to show you guys how to compare robots and weapons thoroughly to help you decide which setups are best for use in your hangar, or simply to just win an argument with that one user you find annoying. Whatever it is, enjoy! Note: This is going to be a long blog, the biggest project in a while, so it might take a while to finish reading it . Health and Firepower Otherwise known as Hitpoints and Damage, Armour and Weapons, you name it, these two statistics form the core of comparisons. They are the basics, which is why we are covering them first. However, it is important to remember that while these are important, solely relying on these to back up an argument or decision is a mistake. Health: Generally speaking, the higher the health of your robot the better. However, having extremely high health may come at the cost of firepower, speed or abilities. It is also important to consider whether your robot has an ability which grants it an Aegis, physical or energy shield, or if it has a permanently active shield anyway. Both of these factors can ‘increase’ the health of any robot. These are the different types of shields: *Energy shields. These will block all types of fire apart from plasma weapons (and ability damage). Most robots with in-built energy shields have below-average health, so be careful of plasma fire. *Aegis shields. Aegis shields will block all types of weapon damage, but not damage caused by abilities, such as Mercury’s Helldive. *Physical shields. Physical shields are the most common type of shield and will block all types of weapon damage apart from explosive rockets and splash. Physical shields, in addition to being the most common type, are also (usually) the most durable. Pilots should remember that kinetic weapons deal double damage to physical shields. When comparing robots that have shields, robots that have an Aegis shields should be considered to have superior durability to other robots that have similar health but a physical or energy shield. As for the physical and energy shields, personally I would say that energy shields are better for fast knife-fighting, whilst more durable physical shields are more suited to point-blank brawling. Whether physical shields are better than energy shields I cannot say, it depends on what your playstyle is and whether you encounter more plasma, rocket or kinetic fire. Firepower: As with health, the more firepower you have the better. Glass cannons exist for a reason though, as higher firepower might mean less health or slower speed. Considering hardpoint and damage types is also crucial. *Light Hardpoints. Roughly equal to 1 medium in terms of raw damage when compared to a weapon of the same range, type ands synchronisation (e.g comparing a Punisher to a Punisher T). Light weapons are the most versatile of the 3 hardpoint types and can be used for all roles. *Medium Hardpoints. Usually considered to be the most versatile hardpoint, some of the most powerful weapons in the game belong to this class, such as the Scourge and Orkan. Medium weapons can usually dish out around 80% of a heavy weapon’s damage (again, this must be of the same type, range and have similar synchronisation). In some cases (e.g Storm vs Thunder), medium weapons are more powerful than their heavy counterparts. They are most suited to knife fighting, and also are good for brawling. *Heavy Hardpoints. With the notable exception of the Thunder, heavy weapons dish out the most damage and are the most powerful weapons on the battlefield. They are equivalent to around 2.5 light weapons in terms of damage. They are best suited to brawling and long range sniping. *Kinetic Damage. Kinetic damage is virtually ubiquitous in lower and mid leagues, but becomes quite rare upon reaching Diamond and above. Kinetic weapons are probably the most versatile type in my opinion, the ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ type of weapon and have the mighty Avenger and potent Gust in their class. They deal double damage to physical shields and have a high rate of fire combined with lots of ammunition to compensate for them being blocked by all types of shield. They also have decent accuracy. While they might be outclassed as knife fighter weapons and for ambushes, they are great for close range brawling (especially the Avenger and Gust) as well as destroying enemy shields from a distance. *Plasma (AKA Energy) Damage. Plasma weapons, on the face of it, are sheer powerhouses. With extremely high damage and great accuracy, combined with relatively short reloads and a slightly longer range compared to other weapons of different categories that had the same role, plasma weapons seemed to be the way forward. However, the increasing use of extremely durable physical shields that could withstand sustained plasma fire ensured that plasma weapons were held in check. They remain the most powerful close range knife fighter weapons, and have a near monopoly on ranged weapons (bar the Trident) *Rocket (Splash) Damage. Who cares about a short range and long reload when you can kill enemy bots within seconds? So goes the motto of the traditional DB and RDB setups, which time and time again have proven their effectiveness. With a substantial splash radius, good burst fire and a Reload-While-Firing system, rocket weapons are perfect for quick ambushes and flushing enemy robots from cover. In short: For point-blank brawling: Kinetic weapons For close range knife fighting: Plasma weapons For ambushes: Rocket weapons Note: In terms of mid/long range weapons, energy weapons are usually the best choice. Kinetic missile weapons and autocannons are cost-effective and reliable, while rocket weapons and artillery are best suited to flushing out enemy bots form key points. Abilities and Speed Foreword: This section leads onto the ‘Role’ section below it. Now that we’ve covered the basics of comparing stuff, we can move on towards slightly more opinion-based statistics. However much you care about your robot’s ability or speed is up to you. The following is just what you should probably consider before launching into a massive argument or costly hangar change decision: *Abilities. Most abilities are just temporary, with a few exceptions, and all either increase your mobility or protection in one way or another. For more information, see my Abilities: How to Use and How to Counter series blogs. When and where you use them is important, as they do have substantial cooldowns. Abilities can’t make a bad robot a good one, but can help shift it into the ‘usable’ category. Abilities can also help define what role a robot/setup should be used in. For example, the mighty Bulwark may be an adequate sniper equipped with 2 Trebuchets, but it’d be a complete waste of its Aegis-class defense system ability which is optimised for brawling. Another example is with the Rhino. It has the durability, firepower and speed of a sluggish brawler, but Assault Mode means that it is nearly always used as a powerful beacon capper. When comparing robots, some abilities can be considered more useful than others. Examples include ‘Hunt > Stealth Mode’, ‘Double Jump > Jump’ and ‘Helldive > Descend’. *Speed. Like with Abilities, speed can help define a robot’s role. What’s the point of having a fast Kumiho if you use it with twin Ballistas as a sniper, where it can’t make full use of its speed, ability or firepower? As a general rule, fast robots should be used as beacon cappers, while slower and more durable robots that have more firepower are used as brawlers. Purchase and Upgrade Costs Given WR’s current economy, how much silver a robot or weapon costs to acquire and upgrade has never been more important. Cost-effectiveness is key. A good example is a player who already has a heavily upgraded Griffin but wants a Raven. In order to get the Raven he/she will have to invest tens of millions of silver into acquiring and upgrading a Raven, which when compared to the Griffin only has an extra jump charge. In this case, it simply isn’t worth it. Whilst always getting the cheapest robot or weapon isn’t going to get you anywhere, when two robots/weapons are remarkably similar yet have a substantial cost difference (another example is getting a cheaper and easier to use Inquisitor instead of the meta Spectre) it is worth considering the cheaper option. Role This is where things can get really detailed. For example, suppose somebody wants to compare a Fury to a Lancelot. Statistics aside, both robots have very different roles. The Lancelot is a brawler, whilst the Fury is a camper (like it or not, all pilots who have ranged setups literally never move and in many cases, are a burden on the rest of the team) and they both cost the same. While the Lancelot faces competition from the Bulwark, Bulgasari, Leo etc as a close range brawler, the Fury has a near-monopoly on mid/long range setups. Therefore, the Fury is objectively better than the Lancelot. However, this is where your playstyle comes into the debate. If you are a dedicated camper (in which case, I personally couldn’t care less about whether you die instantly or not in battles) then the Fury is a better choice. If you hate camping and love close range brawling, then the Lancelot is for you. And if you are GD-2 Predator and hate both, then an unarmed Schutze is probably the best choice. Apply this analysis to all robots and weapons and you can be confident that your choice is a safer one (or you can remain doubtful, it’s your choice). Comparison Checklist For Weapons: *Have I considered the damage? *Have I considered the damage type? *Have I considered the range/role? *Have I considered rate of fire and reload system? *Have I considered the acquisition and upgrade costs? For Robots: *Have I considered its health? *Have I considered its firepower? *Have I considered its speed? *Have I considered its ability? (If applicable) *Have I considered the setup? *Have I considered its role? *Have I considered its acquisition and upgrade costs? Overview It’s certainly been a long read, but I hope you’ve found this useful anyway. I’ve done my best to give you guys advice on comparisons, so good luck and if you have any feedback, please comment! Category:Use Category:Blog posts